Tori has a urinary incontinence problem :(

I don't know if anyone remembers me posting about it, but Tori has occassionally been peeing in her sleep. She was treated for a urinary infection but the problem still persists. I had to take her back to the dr. and he did some urine testing on her and everything is fine. He has diagnosed her with the spay incontinence problem which does happen but is rare in young dogs like Tori. I just picked up her meds today and she is taking Proin twice a day. I hate that this has to happen to her but I hope the meds work and have no major side effects. She only has accidents ocassionally and it seems to be when she is in a deep sleep. Has anyone ever had to deal with this? Or has anyone ever had to use this drug Proin. Just wondering how effective it was and if there were any major side effects. I did a little bit of research on it and the side effects that are mentioned don't seem to bad as far as meds go.

Thanks for listening!

Robin :)

I got Sasha off the drugs by exercising her more. The more we run the less often she has episodes of incontinence. The vet can't explain it, but it works.

I don't know anything about the meds, but I hope that they help! :)

I know there's someone else on the board that has a dog with this problem. Maybe it's Logan or Sandra????

I hope the meds help. I've heard that this is not that rare, though I've never experienced it with any of mine.

I actually had this problem when I first had my hysterectomy, but maybe that's TMI. LOL

I've never experienced this with any of my dogs, but I hope you are able to remedy the problem. Like QP said, try exercising her more, if it worked for her dog, maybe it will help yours too. I would also keep a doggy diaper on her when she sleeps.

Both (RB) Tonee (she was on it for 2 years)and (RB) Shep-ee had this problem, in their old age. It was controlled by meds. And my neighbors (RB) Meranda took it too for several years Worked great. PM or e mail me if you want more info.
Katz

Phenylpropanolamine acts by increasing the muscle tone in the muscles of the urethral sphincter. It is usually very effective in controlling female incontinence in dogs, and is the first line treatment for it. The only side effects that may occur is increased excitability and restlessness. Decreasing the dosage gets around this problem.

Another older treatment was the use of the synthetic female hormone Diethylstilbestrol. If Phenylpropanolamine fails, then DES might be tried. It works by causing the hormonal sensitive tissue to swell, and giving something for the muscles to push against to clamp off the urethra. DES was linked to cervical cancer in daughters of women who took the drug during pregnancy, and has largely disappeared from human medicine. It may be difficult to obtain.

Merck Index

Phenylpropanolamine or PPP is what our girls used every day and Meranda used the other one once a week I think.

I'm sorry to hear about Tori's troubles. I know how upsetting it can be to her to have accidents in her sleep--Oreo went throught the same thing. Oreo also has spay urinary incontenance, and she was diagnosed with it when she was young, too. Hers has been controlled by medicine for several years now.

We first tried the PPA, which is what Proin is, twice a day. It solved the problem, but for her the side effect was severe restlessness.

Next we tried DES, and she now takes that twice a week. It has solved the problem, and she doesn't have any side effects. I buy it from the local human hospital that has a "compounding pharmacy"--they make her pills there. It costs about $50 for four months' worth.

I hope this info helps. Let me know if you have more questions. Good luck!

Hi Robin:) My Cody has had this problem since shortly after spaying at age 1! I know you mentioned that your vet said this isn't common in younger dogs, but I have been told the opposite, that it is a hormone related incontinence that usually occurs shortly after spaying. Cody has been on Proin 50, 1 tab 2x daily for years now with great success. The drug of choice used to be DES, diethylstilbesterol, which has some serious side effects (bone marrow depression) and requires regular blood testing. The side effecs of Proin are minimal and Tori should do fine on it. Dragondawg explained it all well:) Poor Tori:( Like Tori, my Cody is a Husky x and you know, they are very noble creatures and I can tell Cody is embarassed when she wakes up in a piddle puddle:( The Proin should help lots!:) Hugs to Tori...and Katie too!:) Check back with us!

I'm sorry to hear this...poor Tori, it can't be fun to have accidents like that in her sleep. I hope the medication works for her!

angel duke (male golden) used proin, it was a blessing. for both of us, he hated the baths, and i hated the smell of dog urine on him and his bedding. duke had no side effects at all. good luck tori girl and robin.